Primary Sources in Government Information

Public records produced from federal, state, local and international governments or intergovernmental organizations (NGOs) provide primary source material beneficial to nearly all research interests. Milner Library has been a federal depository since 1858 and offers its users a broad array of historic and current sources including:

• hearings and debates of legislative bodies;
• official text of laws, regulations and treaties;
• records of government expenditures and finances;
• statistical compilations such as census data;
• investigative reports; and
• scientific data.

Milner Library houses an extensive collection of information by and about the United States Congress. Primary sources include full text of congressional bills/resolutions both passed and not passed, congressional committee hearings, prints, documents and reports, floor debates, proceedings, journals, directories, manuals, voting data, and publications that support agencies of congress. These official documents are issued by the full congress, either of the houses jointly or individually, or by the committees. Official congressional documents do not include materials issued by the political parties, groups of legislators, or by one individual congress member.

Milner Library is also a depository for State of Illinois resources and we acquire important resources from selected NGOs, such as United Nations, European Union, World Bank, and NATO. These resources are cataloged, classified in Library of Congress system, and integrated by subject areas.